- Court docs: Trump regime pulled research money from University of California via keyword search
Source: SFGate
“A filing in San Francisco court last week has researchers from the University of California feeling bullish about an ongoing legal fight with the Trump administration. Last year, the administration, through various agencies, cut money from thousands of research grants within the UC system. … the researchers’ lawyers wrote that per sworn statements, the agencies in question ‘used ‘search terms, keywords, or phrases’—and in some cases ‘artificial intelligence tools or software’—‘to identify grants for termination review.’’ The lawyers argue those cuts violate the First Amendment because they targeted researchers who work in Democratic-leaning states or were pursuing ideas that were not favorable to the Trump administration, like projects that prioritized disadvantaged communities or grants that mentioned working on diversity within the workplace. Additionally, the lawyers say, because the administration never rerouted that money elsewhere, the terminations violated the Constitution’s appropriations clause.” (07/23/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/trump-research-money-california-22354016.php
- US homicide rate drops 18%, nearing historic low per year
Source: United Press International
“Crime rates are on the decline in U.S. cities with the national homicide rate falling by 18%, inching closer to a historic low, the Council on Criminal Justice said Thursday. The Council on Criminal Justice released its mid-year report examining patterns for 13 types of crime in 36 U.S. cities. It found that nine of the 13 crimes were on the decline through mid 2026. … Of the nine types of crime that declined in the first half of the year, carjacking had the greatest decrease, falling by 47%. Drug offenses [sic] have continued to rise, marking the biggest upward trend at 12%.” (07/23/26)
- SpaceX Short Sellers Pocket $15.5 Billion As Stock Falls Below IPO Price
Source: NDTV [India]
“Short sellers betting against SpaceX have accumulated an estimated $15.5 billion in paper profits after the company’s shares fell sharply below their initial public offering (IPO) price, Reuters reported, citing data from analytics firm Ortex Technologies. The stock has declined 28% over the past month and fell another 6.7% in the previous trading session on July 22. On Wednesday, SpaceX shares dropped to a fresh low of $115.26, extending losses from their post-IPO peak of $225.64. The stock is now trading well below its IPO price of $135. Short selling involves borrowing shares and selling them with the expectation of buying them back later at a lower price, allowing traders to profit from a decline in the stock price.” (07/23/26)
- Saudis must recognise Israel for nuclear deal, says Trump
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The landmark nuclear deal between the US and Saudi Arabia is dependent on Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords recognising the State of Israel, President Donald Trump has said. ‘The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!)… which pertains only to non-military use… will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords,’ Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump’s remarks come after criticism from experts that the deal could run the risk of future nuclear proliferation in an already unstable region. Saudi Arabia has previously said it would not recognise Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state.” (07/23/26)
- UK: Regime withdraws remaining diplomats from Iran
Source: The New Arab [UK]
“Britain said on Thursday it had withdrawn remaining diplomatic staff from Iran as the fighting between Iran and the United States increases. ‘Due to the security situation, UK staff have been temporarily withdrawn from Iran. Our embassy continues to operate remotely,’ the Foreign Office said on its website. In June, Britain withdrew its embassy staff from Iran, following other European nations as well as Australia and New Zealand.” (07/23/26)
https://www.newarab.com/news/uk-withdraws-remaining-british-diplomats-iran
- US weekly jobless claims plunge to lowest since 1969
Source: Reuters
“The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits for the first time unexpectedly fell last week to the lowest since the 1960s, indicating the U.S. job market continues on an even keel and leaving Federal Reserve officials to keep their focus on containing inflation. Initial claims for state jobless benefits dropped by 22,000 — the largest decline in three months — to a seasonally adjusted 187,000 for the week ended July 18, the Labor Department said on Thursday. That was the lowest level of new applications since September 1969 and came as economists polled by Reuters had forecast new claims would edge up to 212,000 in the latest week.” (07/23/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-weekly-jobless-claims-fall-sharply-latest-week-2026-07-23/
- International Criminal Court Drops Case Against Darfur Militia Leader
Source: US News & World Report
“Judges at the International Criminal Court terminated proceedings against the former leader of an armed group in Darfur on Thursday after prosecutors withdrew the charges against Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain. The prosecution said the evidence against Banda, who had been charged with war crimes over a 2007 attack on African Union peacekeepers, had deteriorated in the time since the charges were confirmed over a decade ago in 2011. … The judges said the withdrawal of the charges and the termination of the case does not prevent prosecutors from bringing a similar case against Banda later.” (07/23/26)
- Uber lays off 10 percent of its customer service team in favor of using AI
Source: Engadget
“Uber has laid off 10 percent of its customer service team, and according to Bloomberg, the company cited AI as the reason for the job cuts. An Uber spokesperson told the publication that the cuts were done ‘to simplify operations, strengthen in-person collaboration and continue to embrace AI.’ The division affected by the layoffs is called Community Operations, Uber’s global customer support network across its different businesses and across languages. It has teams for specific regions and countries that work closely with local businesses and drivers. … Uber joins the growing list of companies that point to AI as the reason for layoffs. In June, Oracle cut 21,000 roles worldwide, citing the ‘adoption and deployment of AI technologies.'” (07/23/26)
https://www.engadget.com/2221547/uber-lays-off-10-percent-customer-service-team-ai/
- Oxfam unveils $71 billion plan for reconstruction of Gaza
Source: United Press International
“A group of non-governmental organizations shared with world leaders a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza with an estimated cost of $71.4 billion, according to a report released Thursday. Oxfam, an international coalition of non-governmental organizations, said in its report that the cost to rebuild Gaza is seven times the cost of every other reconstruction effort there over the past 20 years. … The U.N., EU and World Bank’s Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment for the Gaza Strip published in April estimates that the region has suffered about $57.9 billion in damage and economic losses. It will require $71.4 billion for recovery and reconstruction over the course of the next decade.” (07/23/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/07/23/uk-oxfam-gaza-reconstruction-plan/9431784800840/
- Google slapped with $1 billion bribe demand under landmark EU digital law
Source: CNBC
“European regulators have fined Google 890 million euros ($1 billion), alleging the company gives preferential treatment to its own services. The fine is Google’s first under the European Union’s sweeping Digital Markets Act (DMA) which aims to scrutinize Big Tech’s operating practices in Europe. Shares of Google-parent Alphabet were around 4% lower in premarket trading, but that primarily reflected investor unease over rising AI spending outlined in the company’s earnings report on Wednesday. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said it found that Google gives preferential treatment to its own services, such as shopping and hotels, over those of third parties in search.” (07/23/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/23/google-1-billion-eu-fine-dma.html
- France: More than 10k evacuated as wildfire spreads
Source: ABC News
“More than 10,000 people were evacuated overnight in southwestern France as a wildfire raged Thursday near the coastal town of Lège Cap-Ferret, which is popular with tourists, on the Atlantic Ocean. Local authorities said the fire has spread over more than 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres), though no injuries have been reported. … Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires.” (07/23/26)
- Mexico: Mayor killed in town hall months after surviving assassination attempt
Source: CBS News
“A local mayor in central Mexico was shot dead in a town hall, authorities reported Wednesday, after the politician had survived a previous assassination attempt. The town of Temoac is located in the state of Morelos, a region close to Mexico City where several drug cartels are active. Mayor Valentin Lavin, who was allied to President Claudia Sheinbaum’s leftist party, had already survived an armed attack in January, according to local media reports. … Almost 100 mayors have been murdered in Mexico since 2006, when drug-related violence surged, official figures show. Since the current government took office in October 2024, 14 mayors have been murdered in Mexico, three in 2026, Uno TV reported this week. ” (07/22/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mexico-mayor-valentin-lavin-killed-town-hall-temoac/
- Smith hit with criminal referral for allegedly making false statements to Congress about Trump probe
Source: New York Post
“Former special counsel Jack Smith was hit with a criminal referral Wednesday for allegedly misleading House lawmakers about the Biden-era investigation into President Trump. In his complaint to the Justice Department, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) contended that newly released records appear to contradict Smith’s testimony to the panel that he did not obtain or review text messages from lawmakers as his team looked into Trump’s alleged efforts to interfere in the 2020 election. ‘The Committee on the Judiciary writes to refer strong evidence that appears to show Jack Smith, former Special Counsel, knowingly made false statements during his December 17, 2025, deposition,’ Jordan wrote in a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, obtained by The Post.” (07/23/26)
- China Fires Water Cannon on Philippine Ship at Scarborough Shoal, Manila Says
Source: US News & World Report
“A Chinese coast guard vessel fired a water cannon at a Philippine government fisheries vessel in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, scoring an indirect hit, a Philippine Coast Guard official said on Thursday. … The incident happened as Southeast Asian foreign ministers gathered in Manila for ASEAN meetings that were also attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Earlier on Thursday, China said it tracked and drove away two Philippine vessels it accused of having ‘intruded into’ waters near the disputed Scarborough Shoal despite warnings. It was the second incident this week involving both nations in the South China Sea.” (07/23/26)
- Nicaragua: Parliament plans to eliminate elections per Ortega’s perpetual power scheme
Source: Fox News
“Nicaragua’s lawmakers announced plans to abolish elections in the Central American country, following through on President Daniel Ortega’s declaration over the weekend that there would be no more elections, which enraged the international community. The move was revealed on Tuesday by Nicaragua’s congress, which is firmly in the hands of Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo. Lawmakers said planned constitutional overhaul will ensure Nicaragua’s ‘peace, security and stability.’ With the announcement, lawmakers are making good on Ortega’s promise of no more elections, further closing off any potential path for the opposition to challenge the government he leads with Murillo, whom constitutional reforms elevated from vice president to ‘co-president.'” (07/23/26)
- Thailand: Regime launches manhunt after 5 soldiers killed, civilians injured in deep south
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Thai authorities said on Thursday they are searching for the people responsible for an attack in the country’s troubled deep south region that killed five soldiers and injured several civilians. About 10 attackers opened fire and threw pipe bombs at soldiers at a security checkpoint near a residential area in Narathiwat province on Wednesday evening before fleeing, according to the regional Internal Security Operations Command. Six civilians were injured during the attack, including a 10-year-old boy who remains hospitalised in stable condition.” (07/23/26)
- Britain Is Losing the Falklands
Source: Foreign Policy
by Antonio De Loera-Brust“In 1982, Argentina’s military invaded and occupied Britain’s overseas holdings in the South Atlantic, eventually surrendering after 74 days of conflict. The territorial dispute remains a deep source of grievance and national trauma for Argentina. With the navies of both nations a shadow of their 1982 selves, a resumption of armed conflict remains unlikely. This makes the diplomatic debate over the Falklands—both in multilateral international forums and in bilateral relationships between Argentina and Britain and the rest of the world—all the more decisive. The future of British sovereignty over the Falklands is in greater question now than at any time since the end of the war, while Argentina’s claims to the island have become both more persistent and politically unifying.” (07/23/26)
- When Trump targets journalists, the public pays the price
Source: USA Today
by Saundra Torry“Subpoenas of several New York Times reporters authorized by President Donald Trump’s Justice Department are far more than an attack on reporters. It’s an action that affects the rights of people in a free society to know what their government is doing. It’s also more than just a single strike against one news organization. It appears to be part of broader actions by the administration that have harmed press freedom.” (07/23/26)
- The Problem With Middle-Class Socialism
Source: The New Republic
by Vinnie Rotondaro“The Democratic Socialists of America are all about fighting for the working class—even though few of them are actually working class. What would George Orwell say?” (07/23/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/213121/democratic-socialists-america-problem-middle-class-socialism
- Evil US Hypocrisy Toward Cuba
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“In an effort to show how good and caring they are, U.S. officials are shipping $100 million in humanitarian aid to Cuba. Wow! Let’s all bow toward Washington and express thanks for living under such a kind, gentle, and benevolent government, one that clearly loves the poor, needy, and disadvantaged and just wants to help them out. Let’s also not forget that this humanitarian aid also reflects how good, caring, and compassionate we Americans are. After all, it’s our government doing this Christian-like act. That means that since we participate in our nation’s democratic process, especially by voting, we are kind and benevolent too. Except for one thing: It is the U.S. government, in combination with Cuba’s socialist economic system, that is responsible for the desperate economic plight that has enveloped the Cuban people and placed them in a position of imminent death by starvation and illness.” (07/23/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/07/23/evil-u-s-hypocrisy-toward-cuba/
- The Next Attorney General Should Enforce the Law, Not Perform Populism Theater
Source: Checks & Balances
by Matthew P Cavedon“Todd Blanche, the acting United States Attorney General, appeared in Congress last week for his confirmation hearing. There was much talk on the administration’s weaponization of the Department of Justice against its political opponents. These concerns, of course, are valid. Yet focusing only on the DOJ’s partisan misuse misses another important problem: the Department cares more about political theater than enforcing the law. Much of its dysfunction arises from that fact.” (07/23/26)
https://chkbal.substack.com/p/the-next-attorney-general-should
- Censoring with a vengeance: Indecent speech in the Yiddish theater
Source: Expression
by Max Friedman“In 1923, New York police entered Broadway’s Apollo Theater and shut down an English-language production of a popular Yiddish play, Sholem Asch’s Got fun nekome (‘God of Vengeance’). Officers arrested the entire cast and production team, including prominent First Amendment lawyer Harry Weinberger of Abrams v. United States fame. The raid led to a sprawling obscenity trial that sharply divided the New York Jewish community. Got fun nekome was supposedly ‘obscene’ because it portrayed a Jewish family that defied norms of gender and social status. … Some Jewish leaders at the time feared that the play’s portrayal of Jews would inflame antisemitic stereotypes. … let Sholem Asch’s words guide us now. The mere fact that a message could provoke ill will toward Jews does not justify stamping it out in the name of Jewish safety.” (07/23/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/censoring-with-a-vengeance-indecent
- Who Wants to Be Tied to the Energy of War?
Source: Common Dreams
by Martha Molfetas“Renewables are not just for highfalutin hippies, they’re cheaper and avoid the volatility of wars and chaotic leaders. We are not living the 1970s oil shock moment; there are alternatives to fossil fuels. Those who embrace renewable energy will be better off—from health benefits for communities to reducing energy shock burdens for households. The reality unfolding during this latest oil war is that many nations really do not want to be tethered to volatile energy resources. And who can blame them?” (07/23/26)
- The Umpire’s Limits
Source: Law & Liberty
by John O McGinnis“AConstitution that divides power among three branches and between the federal government and the states needs an umpire. Politicians, responding either to their own interest in expanding their authority or to public passions, will frequently overstep constitutional boundaries. Through judicial review, the Supreme Court therefore serves as a neutral arbiter charged with maintaining the Constitution’s boundaries. But the Court itself is an institution that must respect its own boundaries. Thus, in every constitutional case, the preliminary question is whether the Court can reach and resolve the constitutional issue in a manner consistent with the proper limits on its own power. This term, in two of its most notable cases, Trump v. Barbara and Trump v. Cook, the Court transgressed those constraints.” (07/23/26)
- Democratic Socialists vs. Social Democrats
Source: The Next Move
by Garry Kasparov“The key to understanding the difference is the noun. In social democracy, the priority is democracy. Under democratic socialism, the emphasis is on socialism, with democracy reduced to a mere modifier. Social democrats want to remediate some of the injustice and unfairness that comes with unfettered capitalism. I get it: After all, I lived through the Russia of the 1990s. Ultimately, whatever disagreements I have with social democrats, we share common ground as democrats. The same cannot be said for many socialists.” (07/23/26)
https://www.thenextmove.org/p/democratic-socialists-vs-social-democrats
- In the Shadow of the Rock
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Nayler“The Gibraltar–Spain fence is down—but what happens now?” (07/23/26)
- The EU moves forward on expansion – and the rule of law
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by the Editorial Board“The rule of law across Europe is on a ‘broadly positive trajectory,’ according to the just-released 2026 European Commission Rule of Law Report. Reforms that bolster independent justice systems and align anti-corruption rules to continentwide principles are part of this arc. In a global context, where democratic norms appear to be on the back foot and several governments are flexing authoritarian muscles, this is good news. But in a note of caution, the same document also points to uneven progress – particularly among Eastern and Central European countries.” (07/22/26)
- A nuclear deal for the Saudis. A media blackout for Kushner’s corruption.
Source: Popular Information
by Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, & Noel Sims“On Wednesday, the Trump administration signed a 30-year nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that paves the way for the kingdom to enrich its own uranium. The Saudi government has been aggressively seeking such a deal for years, eager to gain an edge over regional rivals. The agreement lacks safeguards that previous administrations, and many independent foreign policy analysts, viewed as essential to prevent nuclear proliferation. The deal comes after the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) invested $2 billion in Jared Kushner’s private equity fund, Affinity Partners. Since 2021, Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, has collected over $110 million from the Saudi government in management fees.” (07/23/26)
https://popular.info/p/a-nuclear-deal-for-the-saudis-a-media
- The Future of Free Speech
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Aaron Kheriaty“Freedom of speech is an integral aspect of authentic freedom, grounded in the distinctively human capacity to adhere to truth through persuasion rather than imposition. While truth is objective and independent of the knowing subject, it can only be received by the subject freely. We can contrast this with a thinly grounded notion of freedom as merely a pragmatic expedient to ‘get along’ in a pluralistic society in which we assume that truth is more or less unattainable. In this thin form of liberalism, when it no longer appears the optimal empirical solution to maintain social comity or stability, freedom of speech will be easily abandoned. We have seen this dynamic play out in Western societies in the past decade, where elites now frequently insist that censorship is necessary to ‘protect democracy’ from the populist rabble.” (07/23/26)
- Censoring is out. Bullying is in.
Source: Los Angeles Times
by Simona Grossi“When we imagine a threat to free speech, we picture a ban — a law forbidding certain words, a prosecutor charging a dissenter, an official with a censor’s stamp. That picture is increasingly obsolete. The gravest threats to expression today rarely announce themselves as censorship. They take the form of ordinary administration turned to punishment — a grant frozen in reprisal, a clearance revoked over a dissenting view and, most insidiously, a damaging official label affixed to a company for the positions it has taken. The designation does quietly what the censor’s order once did openly.” (07/23/26)
- Why Fascists Admired Keynes’s Economics
Source: The Daily Economy
by John Phelan“Keynes saw centralized economic direction as an improvement on market coordination. This provided cover to later corporatist authoritarians who wanted to control every aspect of life.” (07/23/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/why-fascists-admired-keynes/
- Why Trump Wants You To Think All Dissent Is a “Conspiracy”
Source: Mother Jones
by Schuyler Mitchell“According to President Donald Trump’s Justice Department, you may be a member of a criminal conspiracy if you have done any of the following: worn black to a demonstration, given face masks to protesters, joined a book club, distributed a zine. Recently, federal prosecutors have cited these actions as evidence that activists protesting Trump’s deportation machine are part of an organized criminal enterprise. Call it antifa, domestic terrorism, the radical left—in Trump’s eyes, dissent is never organic. It’s all just part of one big ‘conspiracy.’ … Trump has stoked this deep state paranoia to further his own agenda. His winks at Pizzagate and QAnon have grown into an outright embrace of the people promoting the conspiracy theories. And he’s scapegoated minorities by linking them to alleged plots perpetrated by powerful Democratic institutions: Thanks to the liberal elite, immigrants are eating your pets, and trans people in prison are taking your tax dollars.” (07/23/26)
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/07/trump-conspiracy-antifa-cell-arrests/
- Equality, diversity, and inclusion costs money
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie“There is a strong case for saying that equality diversity and inclusion (EDI) imposes costs upon businesses that make them more expensive and less competitive than they could otherwise be. EDI functions rarely pay for themselves. Diversity officers, training programmes, consultants and reporting systems all carry direct costs. For a large firm this might be marginal. For a small or medium enterprise it can be a meaningful fixed cost that a foreign competitor without equivalent obligations does not bear. EDI involves time diverted from output because training sessions, unconscious bias workshops and committee meetings consume staff hours. Those hours are not spent on production, sales or innovation. The opportunity cost is real even where the direct financial outlay looks small.” (07/23/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-costs-money
- Why the Debate Over Life-Saving Vehicles?
Source: Townhall
by Veronique de Rugy“Last year, 36,640 Americans died in traffic crashes. That was the fewest since 2019, yet it still works out to more than 100 fatalities per day. The new generation of vehicles quietly accumulating mileage on our streets offers enormous promise to bring the number down even more and more each year. Over at Marginal Revolution, economist Alex Tabarrok reminds us that as of March, Waymo’s driverless vehicles had logged more than 220 million miles across five of its areas of operation. Compared with human drivers on the same roads over the same period, and counting every crash regardless of fault, the Waymo Driver was involved in 94 percent fewer crashes causing serious or fatal injury. … So, who is working to slow this happy development? Tabarrok points to trial lawyers.” (07/23/26)
- Christopher Nolan Took Some Artistic License. By Zeus’s Beard!
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson“I confess that I am perplexed by the various casting controversies surrounding Christopher Nolan’s excellent and moving The Odyssey, a film inspired by Homer’s poem of that title. It is true that Nolan cast a black woman, Lupita Nyong’o, in the role of Helen of Troy, a Spartan queen who is not described as black …. It also is true that a transgender actor is cast in the role of Sinon, the Greek soldier who plays a critical role in the affair of the Trojan horse. The whiny little men who complain about these things for a living have made a few other minor objections. … Well, raise my rent. Christopher Nolan evidently has taken some artistic license in telling a story about men and women who never actually lived and the war they never actually fought as related by an ancient oral tradition attributed to Homer, a poet who (probably) did not exist.” (07/23/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/odyssey-movie-nolan-fiction-zeus/
- Zionists Are About To Learn It Doesn’t Pay To Sentence Socrates to Death
Source: Antiwar.com
by Jason Jones“‘Our children are being indoctrinated,’ says Senator Ted Cruz after the latest poll showing young Americans’ growing opposition to the Israeli government (He carefully picked one with a forced binary choice between Israeli forces and Hamas – obscuring the general thrust of young people’s moral revulsion to Israel’s violence visible in numerous polls). Daily Wire influencer Jordan Peterson says he’s ‘sickened’ by the trend, which he flatly frames as ‘the rising tide of antisemitism.’ (He chose to make his case as a defense of ‘Judeo-Christian’ values, but in the same post quickly makes clear he is defending the literal state of Israel). … ‘Socrates is corrupting the youth of Athens!’ these Zionists might say, calling for the death of the Gadfly. But they’re about to learn it doesn’t pay to sentence Socrates to death.” (07/23/26)
- Facing Political Attack and Falling Enrollment, Colleges Take the Fight to … Each Other
Source: Washington Monthly
by Jon Marcus“It seemed like a win-win: A proposal to let community colleges in Illinois award bachelor’s degrees in certain fields to rural residents and working adults who live beyond commuting distance of any four-year university. Backers, including Governor JB Pritzker, said the change would not only make things ‘easier and more affordable for students,’ but also increase the supply of workers with the skills employers need. But four-year universities lined up against the proposal. A political ally, flanked by several of their presidents, was blunt about why: It would cut into their business.” (07/23/26)
- How Washington’s Interventions Fuel Somalia’s Cycle of Chaos
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen“Since the end of the Cold War, Somalia has been a textbook case of the perils of foreign meddling. Once a pawn in superpower rivalry, it descended into state collapse, warlordism, and radical insurgency. Successive U.S. administrations, driven by shifting strategic obsessions—from anti-communism to counterterrorism—have repeatedly intervened, each time exacerbating the very problems they claimed to solve. The result? A fractured state, persistent extremism, and record U.S. bombings under the second Trump administration, which is on pace to shatter its own previously set record for strikes in a single year. Far from stabilizing the Horn of Africa, Washington’s actions have entrenched instability, empowered radicals, and imposed costs on both Somalis and American taxpayers.” (07/23/26)
- Trump Can’t Stop Pretending the Iran War Is Over
Source: The Bulwark
by Will Saletan“Donald Trump gets away with lying most of the time. But sometimes reality is so stark and serious that he can’t escape it. That’s what happened in his first term, when he pretended that COVID would quickly disappear. Now it’s happening in the Persian Gulf. Trump’s phony deal with Iran has dissolved. Missile and drone attacks have resumed. Ships are under fire in the Strait of Hormuz. Oil traffic has slowed. Gas prices are going back up. More American troops have been injured, and some have died. Trump is trying to fake his way through this fiasco. It’s not working.” (07/23/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-cant-stop-pretending-the-iran-war-is-over
- Yes, Democratic Socialists Want Soviet-Style Control of Capital
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson“There is no doubt that people who identify as democratic socialists are making large gains in the Democratic Party. They control mayoral offices in major cities like New York and Seattle and are going to be a force in the next Congress, having seen enormous success in the Democratic Party congressional primaries. However, there is much disagreement over the extent of how far this current batch of socialists want to push social, political, and economic changes. Most claim that they just want to turn the US into Denmark or Sweden, and that they are democratic, not autocratic. Yet, despite their claims, there is good reason to believe that this latest movement of ‘democratic’ socialists is far from benign, and if they gain the kind of power they want, the US will be permanently changed—and not for the better.” (07/23/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/yes-democratic-socialists-want-soviet-style-control-capital
- The Road to Normalising Colonial Expansion in Gaza
Source: Informed Comment
by Ramona Wadi“Normalising genocide was a way to normalise colonial expansion in Gaza. Only three weeks after Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich revealed plans for three Israeli settlements, the Nachala settler group organised a march last Sunday, in which settlers and ministers, including Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Economy Minister Nir Barakat and other Likud politicians, marched to a closed military zone, bypassing the Israeli military’s roadblocks to reach the border with Gaza. The call was for rebuilding the former settlements of Elei Sinai, Dugit and Nisanit which were evacuated in 2005 under the Disengagement Plan by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.” (07/23/26)
https://www.juancole.com/2026/07/normalising-colonial-expansion.html
- Taxation Without Representation: An Enduring American Grievance?
Source: EconLog
by Bobbi Herzberg“Few political ideas have proven as durable as the complaint embedded in the Declaration of Independence that the British Crown was ‘imposing taxes on us without our consent.’ That grievance was not merely rhetorical flourish; it captured a central concern of the American colonists about the relationship between political authority and individual liberty. More than two centuries later, citizens continue to debate taxation, representation, and accountability, albeit within a vastly different institutional and economic landscape. The question, then, is not whether taxation remains contentious—it clearly does—but whether the underlying concern about consent still has meaningful relevance in contemporary governance.” (07/23/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/taxation-without-representation-an-enduring-american-grievance
- The West’s plan to pressure Putin has a glaring flaw
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Alina Khamatdinova & Matthew Blackburn“In Western policymaking circles, the destruction of Russian infrastructure, the rise of fuel shortages, and the resultant public dissatisfaction lead many to conclude Russia is on the ropes. The strategy of expanding Ukraine’s deep strike capacities enjoys the support not only of major European NATO states but also of the White House, as recent comments from President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio make clear. The Western pressure strategy rests on a simple calculation: raising the costs of continued fighting will increase discontent in Russian society to the point of forcing the Kremlin to the negotiating table via a ceasefire. For most Russians, who interpret the war as a struggle to secure concrete geopolitical goals, this calculation holds true; mounting costs erode support for war. Missing from this picture, however, is a vocal and intense minority who see the war in moral terms, as a zero-sum struggle over sacred values.” (07/23/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ukraine-strikes-deep-in-russia/
- Trump’s Back Door Into the Newsroom
Source: CounterPunch
by Brian Hudson“The seizure of Max Blumenthal’s phones shows how the war on Iran and the border-security state can turn foreign conflict into domestic repression. Max Blumenthal returned from a reporting trip to Iran and left Washington Dulles International Airport without the two phones that contained much of his working life. According to a federal filing submitted on his behalf, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers questioned him about his journalism, funding, and travel plans and seized the devices after he declined to provide their passcodes. The Committee to Protect Journalists called the episode alarming. What happened at Dulles exposed how war abroad, exceptional border powers, and hostility toward dissenting media can converge in a single act of state pressure.” (07/23/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/07/23/trumps-back-door-into-the-newsroom/
- The Problem With Third Worldism
Source: The American Conservative
by Luke Nicastro“A new way of understanding America’s enemies obscures more than it reveals.” (07/23/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-problem-with-third-worldism/
- Don’t participate in violating liberty
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal“Liberty is a big jewel with many facets. All its facets are important, but you can pick favorites. I do. Even then, don’t try to dull the shine of the facets that don’t affect you as much. To someone, those are the important ones. No one can focus on every important liberty issue. Pick a few that matter most to you, or the one most under attack at this moment. If the threat shifts, adapt. Some people try to pass off cut glass or shiny plastic as jewels. Don’t be fooled. If it obligates you to provide something for someone else, or requires someone else’s life, liberty, or property to be violated, you have no right to it.” (07/22/26)
- Judge Boasberg whines about Trump’s power and then gets caught exceeding his own
Source: Fox News
by Jonathan Turley“Chief Judge James Boasberg is frustrated … and he is not alone. Recently, the D.C. federal judge reportedly groused that the D.C. appellate court had ordered him to reconsider a case about whether the D.C. government engaged in biased enforcement against political graffiti. Conversely, the litigants are equally irked over what they see as Boasberg’s bias after he responded by, again, dismissing their claims without a trial. For a second time, Boasberg has barred pro-life groups from access to a jury after members were arrested for writing in chalk, ‘Black Pre-Born Lives Matter’ on a sidewalk while Black Lives Matter writings were left untouched.” (07/22/26)
- The data center controversy
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton“We recognize that developing and operating large facilities which consume megawatts of power constantly and require constant disposal of the waste heat generated by their operations can create major problems. Just as we recognize that noise, electromagnetic emissions, sound levels and types, and the exhaust from internal combustion engines all have the potential for significant impacts on human health and the environment. But it appears that the truth, and rationally addressing the issues, including those of surveillence and privacy, is not adequate for a growing (but still tiny) minority of Americans.” (07/23/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/07/22/the-data-center-controversy
- The Dangers of an American Sovereign-Wealth Fund
Source: Hoove Institution
by Dora Costa & Matthew Kahn“Sanders’s proposal for control of AI equity risks populist manipulation and market distortion.” (07/22/26)
https://www.hoover.org/research/dangers-american-sovereign-wealth-fund
- Hawaii is a forgotten First Amendment failure
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Elyse Everest“From 1896 until 1986, and over 5,000 miles from where the U.S. Constitution was written, the Hawaiian Islands were subject to one of the most harmful and forgotten large-scale violations of free speech in our nation’s history. Although Hawaii did not become a state until 1959, the Hawaiian language ban of 1896, or Act 57, made English mandatory in all public and private schools. In practice, this meant corporal punishment and public humiliation for children caught speaking the Hawaiian language (ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi) on school grounds, a policy that survived annexation, the territorial period, and statehood itself, remaining on the books until the state legislature quietly discovered and repealed it in 1986.” (07/22/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/hawaii-forgotten-first-amendment-failure
- Why you don’t really get Homer
Source: UnHerd
by Thomas Peermohamed Lambert“When you hear the phrase ‘Ancient Greece’, what are the first words that come into your head? The names of a few great thinkers, perhaps: Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Zeno? Or maybe some grand abstractions: democracy, philosophy, geometry, reason? If so, then you are in good company: if there is one thing everyone knows about the Greeks, it is that they forged the great systems of knowledge and philosophy upon which all Western thought depends. But this is precisely the conception you ought to put out of your mind if, like thousands of others this week, you decide to go to the cinema and watch The Odyssey.” (07/22/26)
- The Political Orphanage, 07/23/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Why Nobody Trusts the News: Isaac Saul.” (07/23/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/why-nobody-trusts-the-news-isaac-saul
- Underthrow Podcast, 07/23/26
Source: Underthrow
“Free Yourself with Subversive Innovation.” (07/23/26)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/free-yourself-with-subversive-innovation
- How Socialist Were the Nazis Really?
Source: Bet On It
“After talking about the socialist credentials of the Nazis with Bob Lawson and Phil Magness, I had this spirited conversation with Kristian Niemietz, author of the astoundingly good Socialism: The Failed Idea That Never Dies. Niemietz pushes back against my thesis more than Lawson or Magness, so if you enjoy a serious argument, don’t miss our exchange.” (07/23/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/how-socialist-were-the-nazis-really
- The Permanent Problem, episode 18
Source: Niskanen Center
“Living near friends and family, with Phil Levin.” (07/23/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/living-near-friends-and-family-with-phil-levin
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 07/23/26
Source: The New Republic
“GOPers Quietly Admit the Unthinkable: It’s All Falling Apart for Trump.” (07/23/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/213396/gopers-quietly-admit-unthinkable-it-falling-apart-trump
- The Libertarian Angle, 07/23/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Democratic Socialism in America.” (07/23/26)
- The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen, 07/23/26
Source: The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen
“Birthright Citizenship and Presidential Removal: A Historical Deep Dive.” (07/23/26)
https://rosenjeffrey.substack.com/p/birthright-citizenship-and-presidential
- Unintended Consequences, 07/23/26
Source: Cato Institute
“Delaware vs Elon Musk, a Corporate Law Showdown.” (07/23/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/unintended-consequences/delaware-vs-elon-musk-corporate-law-showdown
- Capital Record, episode 312
Source: National Review
“Michaels and the Gift of Private Equity.” (07/23/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/michaels-and-the-gift-of-private-equity/
- Rising, 07/23/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on leftist commentator Hasan Piker putting up a framed newspaper article from the day after the 9/11 attacks on his wall.” (07/23/26)
- The Daily, 07/23/26
Source: New York Times
“Why Is the U.S. Building the Saudi Nuclear Program While Destroying Iran’s?” (07/23/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/23/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“As Oil HIts $100, Houthis Open New Front In Iran War.” (07/23/26)
- Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 07/23/26
Source: Politico
“Johnson stalls AOC momentum.” (07/23/26)
- Kibbe on Liberty, episode 396
Source: Free the People
“Democracy Is a Fraud | Guest: Patrick Byrne.” (07/22/26)
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 07/22/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Kelley Vlahos: Lindsey Graham’s Ghost.” (07/22/26)
- Checks & Balances, 07/22/26
Source: Checks & Balances
“Why the Supreme Court Needs Humility.” (07/22/26)
https://chkbal.substack.com/p/why-the-supreme-court-needs-humility
- Fountainhead Forum, episode 471
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Scott Jewett on running for governor of Florida, along with nuclear power.” (07/22/26)
- Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael, 07/22/26
Source: Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael
“The Broken Incentives of American Politics and the Main Street Party Reform Plan w/ Tom Joseph.” (07/22/26)
- LPA Two Hour Lunch Hour, episode 3
Source: Libertarian Alliance
“Join us for our anything goes podcast every Wednesday at noon eastern!” (07/22/26)
- Caleb O. Brown discusses solutions to Kentucky’s housing crisis
Source: Bluegrass Institute
“Bluegrass Institute CEO Caleb O. Brown advocates for easing zoning laws and implementing statewide permitting reforms to resolve Kentucky’s housing crisis.” (07/22/26)
https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/cob-terry-meiners-202607/